Mickey Mouse

Today Disney announced the launch of a world-wide celebration honoring 90 years of Mickey Mouse. Since his big-screen debut in Steamboat Willie on November 18, 1928, Mickey has been the global ambassador for The Walt Disney Company. From the beloved Mickey Mouse Club to today’s Mickey Mouse cartoon shorts, Mickey’s optimistic outlook and endearing personality continue to delight fans around the world every day. The cross-company festivities will continue through 2018 and beyond and will include an exclusive fashion show, a new television special, a celebration at Disney parks and resorts and much more.

The party kicks off on March 7 with “The Happiest Show on Earth”—a runway fashion event featuring a Mickey-inspired collection designed by couture brand Opening Ceremony founders Carol Lim and Humberto Leon. The show will also serve as Opening Ceremony’s Spring 2018 runway show and close out fashion week celebrations around the world. Select items from the Mickey collaboration will be immediately available for sale following the runway show at shopDisney.com, OpeningCeremony.com and Opening Ceremony stores, while the remaining ready-to-wear looks will hit stores in November. The iconic story of Minnie Mouse, who shares this milestone anniversary with Mickey and recently received her official star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, will also be celebrated at the fashion show.

Disney’s collaboration with Opening Ceremony will serve as the launch of “Mickey the True Original”—a global celebration of Mickey’s heritage, personality and status as a pop-culture icon. The campaign will come to life through fashion collaborations with other true original brands, as well as engaging content and events that embrace Mickey’s impact on the past, present and future.

The celebration continues throughout 2018 and beyond:

This fall, ABC will air a star-studded celebration of Mickey in honor of his birthday, with special guests, musical performances and more.

Disney Channel will debut season five of the Mickey Mouse animated shorts, taking the series total to more than 90 shorts, including a special seven-minute extended-length birthday episode that will air later this year.

Walt Disney Parks and Resorts around the world will celebrate Mickey’s 90th on November 18, marking the day with commemorative merchandise, photo locations and more.

Beginning in late 2018 and into 2019 the World’s Biggest Mouse Party, saluting Mickey and Minnie, will take place at Disney Parks worldwide.

Disney On Ice will salute Mickey as the “True Original” host of Disney On Ice since its inception in 1981 by creating Mickey’s 90th pre-shows for productions touring the United States, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Latin America.

Disney On Ice presents Mickey’s Special Celebration, a new production showcasing Mickey Mouse’s memories throughout the years, will launch in Japan in July 2018 and continue touring throughout the Asia-Pacific region until August 2019.

In France, 38 design and art schools will take part in “Mickey Is Art,” a unique contest in which students will craft works of Mickey, inspired by their favorite artistic movement. The winning designs will be displayed this summer in 12 major train stations in France and for sale this September at Galerie Glénat in Paris.

Disney Publishing Worldwide will introduce more than 30 titles globally as part of Mickey’s 90th, including books, arts & crafts and comics.

In addition, D23: The Official Disney Fan Club will be celebrating Mickey’s 90th throughout 2018:

D23 and the Walt Disney Archives, in partnership with Walt Disney Animation Studios, have commissioned legendary Disney animator Mark Henn to paint Mickey’s official 90th birthday portrait. Henn follows in the footsteps of artists such as Disney Legend John Hench, who crafted five of Mickey’s official portraits. Henn animated Mickey for Mickey’s Christmas Carol (1983) and is currently at work on Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2 (2018). The new portrait will debut on the cover of the fall issue of Disney twenty-three, a quarterly publication from D23.

This year’s annual D23 Gold Member gift is an exclusive box set of 23 special Mickey Mouse mementos—authentic reproductions of such treasured keepsakes as pages from the script of Steamboat Willie and a miniature animation cel from Parade of the Award Nominees (1932).

To join the conversation on social, fans are encouraged to use the hashtag #Mickey90.

Mickey’s birthday is celebrated in honor of the release of his first theatrical film, Steamboat Willie, on November 18, 1928, at the Colony Theatre in New York City. Since then, he has starred in more than 100 cartoons and can currently be seen on Disney Channel in the Mickey Mouse cartoon series and on Disney Junior in Mickey and the Roadster Racers.

To celebrate his upcoming birthday, Mickey Mouse is surprising some of his biggest fans in eight locations around the globe. Leading up to the big day—November 18—Mickey will take off to such exciting destinations as Japan, Chile, Canada, China, England and the United States. These magical moments will be captured and shared on Disney’s Mickey Mouse Facebook and Instagram pages. Mickey will bring a few more surprises when he visits the Good Morning America studios in New York City on November 15. Fans are encouraged to join the fun on social media using #HappyBirthdayMickey.

Disney Stores and shopDisney.com

In honor of the occasion, Disney’s e-commerce site shopDisney.com will feature special Mickey birthday merchandise from November 16–23, and on November 18, all Disney Stores in the U.S. will host celebrations throughout the day with entertainment and activities.

Walt Disney Parks and Resorts

On Mickey’s birthday, the Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resorts, as well as Disney Stores in the United States, will be distributing commemorative “Happy Birthday, Mickey!” buttons. Disneyland Park in Anaheim will host a special cavalcade featuring some of Mickey’s friends along with the Disneyland Band; and at Magic Kingdom Park in Lake Buena Vista, FL, characters and performers will dance in a special birthday-themed song during Move It! Shake It! Dance & Play It! There will also be commemorative merchandise, treats and photo locations throughout both resorts. Celebrations will also take place at all of Disney’s international theme parks including Disneyland Paris, Hong Kong Disneyland, Tokyo Disney Resort and Shanghai Disney Resort.

Disney Channel and Disney Junior

Special marathons of Mickey and the Roadster Racers and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse will air throughout the weekend of November 17 on Disney Channel and Disney Junior, and a new Mickey Mouse-themedDisney Junior Music Nursery Rhymes short entitled “Happy Birthday” debuts November 17 on Disney Junior YouTube. On November 18, Disney Channel will air Mickey Mouse shorts every half hour throughout the day, starting with the premiere of “The Birthday Song,” a new short in which Minnie Mouse loses the notes to Mickey’s birthday song and needs to recover them to save the festivities.

Disney’s Digital Worlds

In addition, D23: The Official Disney Fan Club, Oh My Disney, Babble and other Disney sites will be posting Mickey-related videos, galleries, stories, crafts, recipes and shareables leading up to and on his birthday. And a selection of Disney games and apps will feature special Mickey-themed content and giveaways, including Disney Magic Kingdoms, Kingdom Hearts Union Cross, Disney Tsum Tsum, Disney Magical Dice, Disney Story Central, Disney Jigsaw Puzzles! and Color by Disney.

Mickey’s birthday is celebrated in honor of the release of his first theatrical film, Steamboat Willie, on November 18, 1928, at the Colony Theatre in New York City. Since then, he has starred in more than 100 cartoons and can currently be seen on Disney Channel in the Mickey Mouse cartoon series and on Disney Junior in Mickey and the Roadster Racers.